The average salary in 1980 was $17, 045. This is the lowest of all decades so far, although it saw a significant increase compared to that of 1970, when the median income was $8,276. Inflation played a role during the decade, but wages also dropped due to recessions in the early ’80s and ’90s.
According to the US Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly cost of living in 1980 was $1693. This was higher than citizens around the world, who averaged $543 per month.
Average salary in 1980
With that information, we can see that the average salary in 1980 was $21,973. This number is the starting point for calculating how much you would need to make today to have the same buying power as someone in 1980 did at the same level of income. Looking at the chart above, if you were making 16k a year in 1980 and someone made the same now, they would be making about twenty-one thousand dollars currently. You would need to make about forty thousand a year to achieve the same buying power 1980 afforded you with sixteen thousand dollars.
The salary is based on the national mean salary for the USA. The average salary in the metro New York is $1,295 with a $31k range. This information was researched through Payscale.com which offers free information on salary patterns and comparisons in various industries.
The truth is, we’re not even sure how much the average graphic designer makes anymore. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stopped bothering to collect data on graphic designers’ salaries in 2012. So we showed you a few examples and told you to ask around.
There’s a lot more to think about when trying to determine how much you should be making. You’ll also want to take your lifestyle and needs into account, since someone living in one city or state will have different costs than someone living somewhere else. That said, these salaries should hopefully give you some perspective on what to expect as a designer, even if it’s just an estimation of potential salaries for the mid-career and senior positions we mentioned earlier.
Freelance rates generally vary according to several factors like the location of the job, the level of expertise in a designer’s field, deliverables, and more. With all this considered, however, it never hurts to use these as a baseline for what a freelance designer can charge. Also consider checking out Dribbble for more information about freelance designers in different locations. This is definitely one of the best websites to learn freelance rates on.
U.S. Companies provide a wide range of benefits to employees and their families. The most comprehensive programs are usually found in large companies that provide a salary for the employee and a matching contribution for the employee’s spouse or partner; children’s allowances; furnished housing or a housing allowance; added life insurance up to certain limits on earnings if one is killed in an accident; additional life insurance protection; free medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; sick leave, paid holidays, vacations, and leaves of absence; company-paid legal services; college tuition assistance; transportation subsidies; vacation home loans at preferential interest rates to allow the purchase of vacation homes or leaseholds on properties at popular tourist locations such as ski resorts and beach areas; pension plans or bonus plans (profit sharing plan); employee stock option plans or stock purchase plans that do not entail any immediate cash outlay by an employee while they accumulate over several years with the goal of receiving stock shares at half price when they actually turn them in after vesting periods lasting two to five years have elapsed.
